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readability.pdf

 readability.pdf

How to make your newspaper more readable

Transcript

  1. Welcome

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  2. Tommy Thomason
    Director
    Texas Center for Community Journalism
    How to make
    your newspaper
    an easy read
    Writing for your readers

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  3. ______________________
    The bottom line…

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  4. Writing matters because
    today’s readers are harder
    to reach.

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  10. The issue is not literary quality…

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  11. …it’s the bottom line.

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  12. How do we
    write the kinds
    of stories
    today’s readers
    want to read?

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  13. Often, what we think
    are writing problems
    are really reporting
    problems. You can’t
    write your way
    around bad reporting.

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  14. The iceberg
    dilemma…

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  18. Good reporting is reader-centric and
    answers questions the reader might have

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  19. Why should readers care about this?
    The Center City Health Foundation announced more than
    $150,000 in grants to Smith County nonprofits this past week.
    Six organizations specializing in health, education and children's
    services were awarded individual grants between $20,000 and $25,000 as
    part of CCHF's community grant making program, now in its second year.
    Last year CCHF distributed $115,000 to area nonprofits.
    "I think we're blessed to live in a community with so many
    outstanding agencies," said Scott Foster, CEO of the Center City Health
    Foundation. "As we move forward we hope to expand the program."
    The purpose of the grants, he said, is to allow their community
    partners to expand already existing services in the community. All grants are
    unrestricted.
    Recipients of 2014 grants include The Caring Place, The Boys &
    Girls Club, Ride on Center for Kids, the Smith County Children's Advocacy
    Center, Center City Partners in Education and The Center City Project.
    The Boys & Girls Club was awarded two grants, one in the amount
    of $20,000 for programming and a second totaling $25,000 for expansion
    and refurbishment of its facility. Foster said CCHF was moved by the club's
    incredible need as they moved into a new facility.

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  20. Why should readers care about this?
    The Center City Health Foundation announced more than
    $150,000 in grants to Smith County nonprofits this past week.
    Six organizations specializing in health, education and children's
    services were awarded individual grants between $20,000 and $25,000 as
    part of CCHF's community grant making program, now in its second year.
    Last year CCHF distributed $115,000 to area nonprofits.
    "I think we're blessed to live in a community with so many
    outstanding agencies," said Scott Foster, CEO of the Center City Health
    Foundation. "As we move forward we hope to expand the program."
    The purpose of the grants, he said, is to allow their community
    partners to expand already existing services in the community. All grants
    are unrestricted.
    Recipients of 2014 grants include The Caring Place, The Boys &
    Girls Club, Ride on Center for Kids, the Smith County Children's Advocacy
    Center, Center City Partners in Education and The Center City Project.
    The Boys & Girls Club was awarded two grants, one in the
    amount of $20,000 for programming and a second totaling $25,000 for
    expansion and refurbishment of its facility. Foster said CCHF was moved by
    the club's incredible need as they moved into a new facility.

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  21. How can newspapers improve reporting?
    Look for interesting ways to cover DBIs –
    mostly by figuring out why they are
    important.
    Especially on meeting
    stories, the meeting is not
    news – what has
    happened or will happen is
    the news.

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  22. The Smith County commissioners will
    meet at 7 p.m. Thursday to hear proposals
    on potential ways the county airport can be
    improved and modernized.
    Expensive parking. Long lines at the
    ticket counter. Frustrating delays at security
    checkpoints. Lost luggage.
    Travelers agree that the Smith County
    Airport is too small and old-fashioned for
    today’s travelers. On Tuesday, the county
    commission will debate what to do about it.

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  23. How can newspapers improve reporting?
    Help your reporters grow professionally

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  24. How can newspapers improve reporting?
    Help your reporters grow professionally
    Some resources:
    Obviously, TCCJ.
    Online courses. NewsU has some great ones.
    Workshops you do in-house.
    Guest critiques, by email or in person.
    But mostly…

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  26. Readability

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  27. Tips from a writing coach
    Making your
    paper more
    readable

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  28. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.

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  29. Although he opened the meeting with a
    statement that the purpose of the
    meeting was not to convince the public
    that this measure was the best option,
    some of the speakers questioned the
    proposal in the strongest of terms,
    attacking other county programs and
    expenditures they felt should be
    sacrificed, instead.
    This can’t
    be fixed!

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  30. Although he opened the meeting with a
    statement that the purpose of the
    meeting was not to convince the public
    that this measure was the best option,
    some of the speakers questioned the
    proposal in the strongest of terms,
    attacking other county programs and
    expenditures they felt should be
    sacrificed, instead.

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  31. Jones said the goal of the meeting was to
    examine all options for library funding. Several
    speakers said the current level of library
    funding should be maintained, even if it meant
    sacrificing other items on the county budget.
    “This is our kids and our future we’re talking
    about,” said Sam Smith, who described himself
    as a regular user of library services. “Why
    can’t we cut the budget for travel instead, or
    even close the county greenhouse? Are new
    tulips on the courthouse lawn really more
    important than our children?”

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  32. Sentence length average is more
    important than the length of any one
    sentence.
    Vary sentence lengths to avoid
    tedium, but a safe average is 20 to 25
    words.

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  33. One way you
    can make a
    sentence
    longer is to
    include an
    effective
    bulleted list.

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  34. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.

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  35. Watch out for...

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  36. Jones, CEO of Acme Widgets, said financial
    exigencies made it necessary for the
    company to implement budgetary
    measures to minimize expenditures.
    Jones said the company
    had to cut costs.

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  37. Can you translate t hese to English?
    It is advisable to effect an expeditious execution of your present project on
    the earliest timeline, with the purpose of facilitating achievement of the
    goals implicit in your intentions.
    Nike: Just do it.
    The purpose of this communication is to ascertain whether you are
    sufficiently provisioned with the lactic secretions of bovines
    Got milk?
    Perform with spiritual dedication the bewitchingly vernacular songs familiar
    to us, young Caucasian male.
    Play that funky music, white boy.

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  38. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
    Change long and difficult words to short and simple words,
    and be wary of jargon and journalese.

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  39. Eighteen Prairie Creek residents
    accused in a civil suit of an alleged
    loan fraud against the federal
    Department of Housing and Urban
    Development might settle the case
    before it goes to trial, according to
    federal court documents.

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  40. Eighteen Prairie Creek residents
    might cut a deal on the charge that
    they lied to get federally backed
    home loans.

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  41. As they did in the summer of 2006,
    proponents of a Community Block
    Development Grant to improve
    Highway 93 in front of the
    TransAmerica truck stop near
    Interstate 20 ran into a hornets’ nest
    of opposition at a public hearing
    Wednesday night.

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  42. Those who want a state grant to fix
    the road in front of a truck stop on
    Highway 93 found few who liked
    the plan Wednesday night.

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  43. And avoid coptalk…
    Cops don’t get out of
    a car – they exit the
    vehicle
    Cops don’t go places –
    they proceed there
    Criminals don’t carry
    guns – they display
    weapons

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  44. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
    Change long and difficult words to short and simple words,
    and be wary of jargon and journalese.
    Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases.

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  45. Backing in
    Police Chief Joe Smith said
    Tuesday that a door left
    unlocked at the city's jail on
    Main Street allowed three
    prisoners to escape.
    Three prisoners escaped from
    the city's jail Tuesday after
    someone left a door unlocked,
    according to Police Chief Joe
    Smith.

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  46. Hoping to reduce a flood of over-budget
    spending that has plagued the city government
    for the first six months of this fiscal year, all five
    city council members voted Monday night to add
    the positions of purchasing agent and a data
    processing manager to the city payroll.
    City council members agreed Monday
    night that the city could save money with more
    professional purchasing practices and more
    effective use of computers.
    Council members voted to hire a purchasing
    agent and a data processing manager as part of
    an effort to combat six months of over-budget
    spending.

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  47. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
    Change long and difficult words to short and simple words,
    and be wary of jargon and journalese.
    Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases.
    Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a
    sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns.

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  48. He made a substitution…
    She had the intention…
    They gave an exhibit…
    Jones gave a report on the results of the
    study…
    We created a summary of the proposal…
    She conducted a survey of the residents…

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  49. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
    Change long and difficult words to short and simple words,
    and be wary of jargon and journalese.
    Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases.
    Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a
    sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns.
    Cut wordiness.

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  50.  at this point in time
     conducted an investigation into
     made the statement that
     at a later date
     were found to be in agreement
     succeed in making
     make use of, utilize
     give consideration to
     past experience
     consensus of opinion

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  51.  have the need for
     made an effort
     until such time as
     in all other cases
     a sufficient number of
     in the vicinity of
     on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly
    basis
     on a regular, experimental basis
    despite the fact that

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  52. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
    Change long and difficult words to short and simple words,
    and be wary of jargon and journalese.
    Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases.
    Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a
    sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns.
    Cut wordiness.
    Avoid vague qualifiers.

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  53. • very • extremely
    • totally • completely
    • wholly • entirely
    • utterly • really
    • quite • rather
    • somewhat • slightly
    • fairly • Etc.

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  54. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
    Change long and difficult words to short and simple words,
    and be wary of jargon and journalese.
    Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases.
    Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a
    sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns.
    Cut wordiness.
    Avoid vague qualifiers.
    Limit number and symbol.

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  55. The 9th grade students did well on
    most of the 3-part test with at least
    85 percent of the students at more
    than two-thirds of the schools
    passing seven of the 28 test
    objectives.

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  56. Student financial aid climbed 7.9 percent
    last year to a record $30.8 billion, with
    students receiving $15.1 billion in grants,
    $14.9 billion in loans, and $791 million in
    work-study earnings.

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  57. Student aid climbed 7.9 percent last
    year to a record $30.8 billion.
    Students received:
    • $15.1 billion in grants
    • $14.9 billion in loans
    • $ 791 million in work-study earnings

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  58. Keep sentences short and to one main idea.
    Avoid pretensions, gobbledygook, and euphemisms.
    Change long and difficult words to short and simple words,
    and be wary of jargon and journalese.
    Avoid beginning with long dependent phrases.
    Don’t convert strong verbs into weak ones, and then do a
    sex change on the verbs to make them into nouns.
    Cut wordiness.
    Avoid vague qualifiers.
    Limit number and symbol.
    Figure out what your high school English teacher would
    have liked, and cut it out.

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  59. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog
    law that is boosting business’ demand
    for better service, a major
    reassessment that could lead to big
    changes in the county’s public
    transportation system is beginning.

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  60. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog
    law that is boosting business’ demand
    for better service, a major
    reassessment that could lead to big
    changes in the county’s public
    transportation system is beginning.
    Backing in

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  61. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog
    law that is boosting business’ demand
    for better service, a major
    reassessment that could lead to big
    changes in the county’s public
    transportation system is beginning.
    Backing in

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  62. Prompted in part by a new anti-smog
    law that is boosting business’ demand
    for better service, a major
    reassessment that could lead to big
    changes in the county’s public
    transportation system is beginning.
    Backing in

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  63. Local leaders want to make
    it easier for county residents
    to get around without their
    cars.

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  64. So what’s
    the bottom
    line?

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  65. Good writing is no accident.

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  66. It’s what happens when we pay attention.

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